


reunion

by narcissacronin



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22471915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissacronin/pseuds/narcissacronin
Summary: nova and maggie find out they’re sisters <3
Relationships: Nova Artino | Nightmare & Hugh Everhart | Captain Chromium, Nova Artino | Nightmare & Maggie | Magpie
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50





	reunion

**Author's Note:**

> major spoilers for supernova!!

Nova’s phone started ringing, startling both her and Adrian. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, thumb hovering over the decline button. The caller-ID showed Hugh’s name, though she couldn’t recall a time when Hugh had ever called her in the middle of the day like this.

Hesitating for a second before answering, she mouthed a ‘sorry’ to Adrian then greeted Hugh.

On the other side of the phone, Hugh’s voice sounded urgent and he informed her that she was needed at headquarters immediately. He only said that there was something he had to tell her.

When Nova and Adrian arrived at headquarters, they were directed up to Hugh’s office. Hugh made Adrian wait outside while he and Nova talked—which did nothing to calm her already racing nerves.

Nova pulled a chair up to Hugh’s desk and sat down. Her fingers drummed against the side of her thigh. Hugh sat across from her, expression solemn.

“I’m sorry this is so out of the blue, but it’s something that just couldn’t wait any longer,” said Hugh. He reached for some of the papers sitting on his desk and picked them up. “In fact, I can’t believe it’s been kept a secret for over eleven years, something that even  _ I _ didn’t know.”

A thousand different thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. Tried to figure out what was so important. But she couldn’t; there were too many possibilities.

“Nova, I don’t know how else to you this.” He cleared his throat. “Your sister is alive.”

Nova clenched her hands at her side, wondering if she had misheard him. No matter how much she wanted it to be, it just wasn’t possible.

“That...” she began, whispering, “that can’t be true.” Her voice started to rise with each word like a crescendo. “There’s  _ no way that’s true _ . I  _ heard _ the gunshot and her scream. She wasn’t even one yet, how could she have  _ survived  _ that?” A single tear escaped from her eye, though she quickly blinked her eyes in an attempt to dispel the rest.

Hugh leaned forward and turned the papers toward her. “I know it sounds fake, I didn’t even believe it myself at first. You know, I was there after you were taken and I didn’t think she had survived either, but this”—he pointed at the first paragraph on the top page—“proves it.”

Nova tried to read what it said, but the words were soon blurred by the tears welling in her eyes. She turned her focus back to Hugh, forcing herself to meet his eyes. Finally, she whispered the first words that came to mind, “And does she still go by Evie?”

He shook his head. “No, and this is the part that you’re going to find even more unbelievable.” He hesitated a second and avoided her gaze. “Evie Artino has been living under the name Margaret White, alias Magpie, for these past eleven or so years.”

Nova leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes for a brief second, all of her past interactions with Magpie flashing through her head. Her jaw dropped as a thought struck her.

_ The bullet _ .

Of course, it started to make sense now. No wonder Magpie had been so protective of it. Nova’s heart ached at just the thought.

She sat up and returned her focus to Hugh. “Say,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady, “say I wanted to talk with Magpie...is there a certain way I should go about it?”

“I assumed you would ask that and I have a plan. I think it’d be best if I tell her like I told you. And you could be present if you wished to be.”

Nova nodded. “How soon could this be? If she does want to reconnect with me, then we have a lot of lost time to make up for.”

Hugh’s expression turned sympathetic. “I could probably get her up here within the next hour, that is if you’re sure you’re ready for this. She should be in today, I believe she’s on messenger duty this week.”

Nova mulled it over in her head before saying, “I’m ready.”

While Hugh called Magpie to his office, Nova slipped outside to check on Adrian. He was talking with Prism at the reception desk, though his conversation seemed to end when he caught sight of Nova.

“Is something wrong?” he asked as he got closer to her, voice gentle. “Have you been crying?”

Nova didn’t respond and instead pulled Adrian into a tight embrace, her head pressed against his chest. He hugged her back, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head.

“Nothing’s wrong, at least not anymore,” she whispered, voice slightly muffled by his shirt. “But it’s a lot and I’ll explain it all later, okay? Your dad and I still have so much to talk about.” She loosened her arms and slowly pulled out of his embrace.

He nodded. “Do you want me to stay? I don’t mind.”

“No, it’s going to be a while before I can leave and there’s no point in you waiting. But thank you, I really appreciate the support.” The ghost of a smile spread across her lips. 

“Of course.” He leaned down and pressed a short kiss to her lips. “If you need anything, call me, alright?”

She stepped away from him and waved before disappearing back into Hugh’s office.

“She’ll be up here in about ten minutes,” Hugh told her once she had sat down.

Nova pulled her sleeves over her hands and sat back in the chair, heart racing. She started to tap her foot on the ground, hoping to dispel some of her nervousness.

Hugh was the first to break the silence.

“I know I’ve apologized to you countless times before, but I just want to say it again. Nova, I still feel terrible about what happened to your family and Georgia that night. And to think that you and your sister have been separated all these years...” He cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry, I wish there was something I could’ve done to prevent it.”

Nova sniffled. “That’s all in the past now. Besides, I think you more than made up for it when you saved me at the cathedral.”

Hugh grimaced, though he quickly tried to cover the expression.

Before they could discuss any further, a knock sounded on the door to his office.

“Come in,” he called, sitting up a bit straighter.

Prism opened the door and then stepped aside, revealing a shorter figure standing behind her. With a scowl, Magpie stepped into the room and said, “You wanted me?”

Hugh nodded. “You can pull up that chair if you’d like,” he said, pointing at the chair next to Nova.

Magpie looked at him skeptically, though she did as he said. Her eyes darted over to Nova.

“What’s she doing here?” she asked.

Nova met Magpie’s eyes then quickly looked away again. Suddenly, this all felt like it might be a little too much for her. Nova’s heart started to race again and she started to feel faint, head aching.

_ Is this really happening? _

She took in a few deep breaths, just as her therapist had told her to do when she felt like she was having a panic attack. Slowly but surely she started to calm down and reground herself. She retrained her focus back onto Hugh.

“...spent a few years in an orphanage, correct? After you lost your family?” Hugh said, glancing up at Magpie from his papers.

“Yeah, but what does this have to do with anything?” returned Magpie, scowl deepening.

Her expression startled Nova, not just because of the fierceness but also how much it reminded Nova of herself at that age.

“Magpie, please just listen to me,” Hugh said, the slightest hint of frustration seeping through his tone. “This is very serious. There are some things that are still unknown and I’m just trying to stick to the facts.” He took in a deep breath. “I have information on your family, specifically your older sister.”

Nova started to tap her foot again, anxiety from earlier returning.

“She’s alive,” Hugh continued. “In fact, you’re sitting right next to her.”

Magpie crossed her arms over her chest, disbelief etched into her features. “You’re telling me that Nova  _ Artino _ is my sister? That doesn’t make any sense—”

Hugh explained the story to both of them, starting with the agreement he had made with their father all those years ago. He finished by explaining to them how it had been revealed that Magpie was actually Evie Artino.

“Do you want to talk?” Hugh asked them. “I can step outside for a few minutes if you'd like me too.”

Nova and Magpie exchanged glances, holding each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Slowly, both started to nod. Hugh stood and told them that he'd be right outside the door should they need anything, then stepped outside.

Silence permeated the room, hanging over them like a threat. Finally, Magpie was the first to speak.

“I waited for you,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “For years I waited for you to claim me, for  _ anyone _ to claim. They told me that you were missing, but after a while, I just assumed you had died.”

“If...” Nova began, voice quivering slightly, “if I had known you survived, I would’ve come for you.” Nova hesitated. “You’re too young to remember it, but that night is one I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I wish to.” Tears pricked Nova’s eyes, but she quickly blinked them away and dropped her gaze, no longer able to look at Magpie.

“I fell asleep holding you and the next thing I remember is waking up to Mom and Papà arguing with the hitman in the hallway. To this day, I still hear their screams and the gunshots. You weren’t even a year old.” Nova sighed, shutting her eyes for a brief second. “All these years, I’ve felt guilty for not saving you. Calling myself a coward for not grabbing you before hiding. And now... I just can’t believe you’ve been  _ alive _ this whole time.”

Silence took them into its embrace once more and neither said a word for the longest time. Once Nova had gathered her wits, she turned back to Magpie, fully aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. Although she was surprised to see that Magpie was crying too.

For a few seconds, they stared back at each other, both as still as statues. Then slowly, Nova lifted her arms, as if inviting Magpie into her embrace. Magpie blinked at her, unmoving. Over a minute passed before Magpie rose from her chair and accepted the hug. And they stayed like that for the longest time, clinging onto each other while shedding tears they’d been holding in.

After a while, Magpie, voice slightly muffled by Nova’s shirt, whispered, “What were...our parents like?”

Nova thought over this before speaking. “They always tried their best to care for us. Even when times were tough they still managed to be there.” The smallest of smiles tugged at Nova’s lips. “I’m not sure I could ever put into words how much they loved us, we were the light of their lives. Papà always talked about a world where prodigies could be themselves, one without the Age of Anarchy looming over the city. Mom too.” 

Nova paused and reached into her pocket for her wallet. She opened it and pulled out a slightly crinkled photograph, handing it to Magpie. It was a small family portrait, with Tala holding a baby Evie and David carrying a barely-six year old Nova on his hip. “This was taken a few weeks after you were born. It’s one of the only pictures I have of all us, but I’ve been meaning to check in the city archives for more.”

Magpie nodded though she didn’t seem to be listening, focused intently on the photograph. She handed it to Nova, then pulled away from Nova.

Nova placed the photo back into her wallet before slipping it into her pocket. She stood and started to inch towards the door.

“Magpie, I understand if you don’t want to keep in contact,” Nova began, “but I’m going to give you my information anyways, okay? If you ever need a place to stay or someone to talk to for whatever reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Even though I haven’t been there these past eleven years, I want to be here for you now.”

“I...I would like that,” Magpie stuttered, smiling ever so slightly. “And you can call me Maggie.”

Nova nodded, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. She stepped over to Hugh’s desk and found a pad of paper and a pen. She wrote down her phone number and, after hesitating for a second, the address to her apartment. Maggie took the paper from her and carefully tucked it into her pocket.

After sharing a small hug, they said their goodbyes and Maggie left the office. Hugh had already stepped back in when Nova was getting ready to leave. Though as she was about to step out the door, he tugged at her wrist and said, “How are you holding up?”

She stilled and turned to face him. “For once in my life, I feel like things are starting to go in the right direction.” She paused. “Thank you, by the way, for letting me know about Maggie.”

“Of course, it was the least I could do.” He smiled at her crookedly and set a hand on her shoulder, the gesture was almost fatherly. Something panged inside her chest and she felt like she was about to start crying again. She threw a goodbye over her shoulder and stepped out of the office.

Only when Nova was outside of headquarters, where no one but herself was there to witness it, did she let her tears fall again.


End file.
